Watching You From Afar
by Yukimi the Ice Goddess
Summary: Do many people know the true feelings of the guardian of time, Sailor Pluto? A short one-shot about Pluto's true love. R&R!


Konnichiwa! If you don't know me, I'm Yukimi the Ice Goddess. You will not see a long Sailor Moon story in my account anytime soon, but you'll see plenty of one-shots.

While re-reading my Sailor Moon Manga awhile back, I noticed so many things that I didn't before. One of them was a startling revelation about the guardian of the fourth dimension.

Sailor Moon does not belong to me, but Naoko Takeuchi. Enjoy!

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_Guardian of Time_

_Let the door of time split the heavens_

_and open to me. _

_I call you by your true name,_

_the all knowing God of Time,_

_father of the guardian._

_Chronos!_

_Lead me! Protect me!_

_Send me the path of light!_

The young pink-haired princess of crystal Tokyo took a deep breath and smiled at her older friend. "Did I get it right that time, Pluto?"

Sailor Pluto, the guardian of the fourth dimension, smiled back. "Well done, Small Lady," she replied softly. "You recited it perfectly."

Small Lady Serenity jumped into the air and let out a cry of happiness. "Finally! I knew if I practiced and practiced I would get it, and I did!" She grabbed her Luna P ball and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you for teaching me, Pluto," she said happily. "Does this mean I can travel back in time now?"

Pluto shook her head and gave her young charge a stern look. "No, Small Lady. You must never travel through time. It is the final taboo."

Small Lady, also known as Rini, stared at Pluto with a confused look in her large eyes. "Why, Pluto?"

"Traveling through time, especially into the past, is very risky. You could change the future completely so that none of this beautiful Earth would exist. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?"

Rini shook her head, looking forlorn. "But," she muttered, "I wanted to see Mama as Sailor Moon. And Papa as Tuxedo Mask." She sat down comfortably next to Pluto and looked up at her. "Tell me about them again, Pluto."

Pluto chuckled slightly. "Of course," she said, bringing a smile to Rini's face.

"I only know this from the other Sailor Scouts. They said that the Queen was once the invincible Sailor Moon. She was true to her friends and undefeatable. There was nothing she could not do once she set her mind to it."

"Did she ever lose?"

"Not ever. They say it was her pure heart and the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal that made her so strong."

"What about Papa?" the girl asked.

Pluto paused for a moment to consider, a faraway look in her eyes. "The King...was amazing. He protected Sailor Moon with all of his strength as Tuxedo Mask. He was not as powerful as she or the other Scouts, but..."

"But, what?" Rini prodded.

Pluto sighed. "But he had great strength of heart as well. That is what gave him his power."

"And then they married and became King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo! And then they had me!" Rini said happily.

Pluto chuckled again. "Yes, that's right. Why do you ask me when you know everything?"

Rini pouted. "Because you tell it so well, especially the parts about Papa!"

Pluto nodded absentmindedly and waved her away. "You should be leaving soon, Small Lady. Your parents must be worried."

Rini sighed sadly and got up. "They don't care about me, Pluto," she whispered and left Pluto alone in the Fourth Dimension.

Pluto stared into the empty space around her and guarded the door. This was the task that King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity had given her: to be the guardian and to keep the strands of time in order.

But still, she couldn't help hoping that their majesties would allow her to protect their Crystal Tokyo. How could they know, she thought, that that is my desire? To fight with them?

Pluto's thoughts were disturbed as two figures emerged through the door of time. She turned to see the King and Queen standing before her.

"Pluto," Queen Serenity said, "is Small Lady bothering you? Can we let her go by herself to see you?"

Pluto shook her head, startled by the Queen's question. "She does not bother me at all, Queen. Rather, she keeps me company out here." She nodded politely, careful not to meet their eyes. "Please do not restrict her from seeing me. She is lonely."

Serenity blinked. "Ah...yes." She stared at her feet shamefacedly. "I wish she didn't feel so. I want to help her, but I'm afraid she'll turn me away."

The King kissed his Queen's cheek lightly. "She will be all right. She is our daughter, after all." He smiled. "Go and speak to her. I'll be right behind you. Try not to be too stubborn," he reminded her.

Serenity nodded and left through the door, leaving Pluto and the King. For a moment, they stood there in silence, until the King spoke up. "You really don't mind?"

Pluto shook her head again, meeting the King's gaze. "Small Lady is as much my daughter as yours, King, even though we are not connected by blood. I am bound to her as a servant of the Silver Millennium."

"Yes, but that's not the only reason, is it?" the King replied.

Pluto's eyes watered as she smiled at him. "She is my princess. I would give anything to protect her," she said softly, her hands to her heart. "To love her."

Endymion nodded, satisfied. "She looks up to you very much," he remarked.

Pluto laughed. "Not as much as you, my King. She is always asking about when you were younger." She gasped and put her hands to her mouth, thinking that she had overstepped her boundaries.

Instead, the King grinned, his eyes twinkling. "She will grow to be a fine lady," he whispered. He lightly touched Pluto's shoulders in understanding. "I know how hard it is to guard this place alone. I suppose a little company is appreciated. I will persuade my wife to allow Small Lady to continue seeing you."

Pluto's heart sped up as she stared at her King with wordless gratitude. "I am proud of my duty," she finally whispered.

The King nodded and left before giving Pluto one last smile. Pluto watched him go, his violet cloak waving as he walked. She touched the place where his hand had been in reverence before turning back to her post.

"Holding you close and giving you kisses are not the only types of affection," she told Small Lady afterwards.

"Watching someone quietly from afar is a kind of love too..."

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I wrote this one-shot to make up for not updating on Friday, (curses finals week).

It is my theory that Pluto was in love with King Endymion! The evidence is sparse, but it's there. She cares for Rini like her own daughter and if you look closely at Pluto when she looks at him, she really cares about him. He's also the only one she smiled for besides Rini before she died.

Please review!


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